Women's U17 second qualifying round draw

Holders Germany have been drawn with the Netherlands in the UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship second qualifying round.

The three-time winners were seeded in the third pot after dropping points in the first qualifying round for only the second time. It means a difficult route to next summer's finals in Switzerland, and they will have to overcome the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium in Group 1. Laura Marie Larsen, who assisted the draw after receiving the 2011/12 Fair Play trophy on behalf of Denmark, did her compatriots few favours.

Perhaps the pick of the draw is in Group 3, however, where the only other side to win this title, Spain, were pitted against France, whose squad last season were European runners-up and world champions and will host the group. Northern Ireland and Finland complete the section, which like the other groups will be contested in a mini-tournament next spring.

The draw was made in Nyon by Karen Espelund, UEFA Executive Committee member and chairwoman of the UEFA Women's Football Committee, and Mikael Salzer, UEFA head of women's and futsal competitions, plotted the paths right to the final on 28 June. A repeat of the 2012 showpiece between Germany and France is a possibility, as is Germany versus Spain, but there is plenty to do before then.

The knockout event from 25 to 28 June will be the sixth and last time the tournament will end with a four-team finals at Colovray Stadium, Nyon, with the showpiece expanding to an eight-sided event, held in 2013/14 in England.

Second qualifying round draw
Group 1 (7-12 March): Netherlands, Denmark, Germany (holders), Belgium*

Group 2 (26-31 March): Norway, Republic of Ireland, Austria*, Poland

Group 3 (24-29 March): France*, Spain, Northern Ireland, Finland

Group 4 (9-14 April): Switzerland, Czech Republic*, Sweden, Italy

*Hosts

Finals schedule (Nyon)
Semi-finals: 25 June
1: Winner Group 1 v Winner Group 2
2: Winner Group 3 v Winner Group 4

Third-place play-off: 28 June
Loser semi-final 1 v Loser semi-final 2

Final: 28 June
Winner semi-final 1 v Winner semi-final 2